We want everyone to use our 'very green grocery'

A charity-run grocery in Crewe is tackling food waste and high costs by selling surplus and short-dated items for a flat £7 fee, with customers typically receiving goods worth £30-£35 [1]. The Very Green Grocery, operated by the charity Changing Lives Together from its ReUse Warehouse, sources over-supplies and damaged-packaging goods from retailers [1]. "If we don't pick this stuff up it goes in a big skip, in landfill. It's good food. We are the outlet to make sure it gets passed on," said John O'Reilly, head of retail and grocery for the charity [1]. The store, open twice weekly in Crewe's Victoria Centre, allows customers to select a set number of items from sections including fresh produce, tinned goods, and frozen foods [1]. The charity aims to expand to five or six days a week but is limited by the logistics of securing consistent surplus stock [1]. Crewe, a railway town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East with a population of 55,318 [8][10], is one of three locations for the initiative, with other sites in Northwich and Winsford [1]. The model addresses both financial pressure on households and environmental waste. Customer Tamyra Milne noted the dual benefit: "it's helping me in terms of saving money... but it's also helping with all the stuff that's going into landfill when it's not needed" [1]. The initiative operates in a national context where economic pressures remain prominent following the UK's 2024 general election [6]. Unlike a traditional food bank, the store is open to all. "We are not a foodbank, everybody is welcome, everybody wants to save money and everybody wants to save good food from going to waste," O'Reilly stated [1]. The charity is actively seeking more retail and distribution partners with surplus food to increase its capacity and opening hours [1].